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This year, that changed to an online registration and a lottery for spots in special magnet schools, instead of its first-come, first-served application process of years past.

Applications closed at the end of November, With the campouts gone, more people applied: 1,700 this year compared to 1,200 a year ago.

Out of the 1,700 who applied, more than 300 picked Fairview German School as their first choice.

The number was far more than the school could accept, so the district is making changes, expanding the number of preschool and kindergarten classrooms at Fairview.

It also means Fairview could potentially expand to three buildings: the current building, the Clifton Cultural Arts Center nearby, and the old Vine Street Elementary which will be rehabbed.

It’s frustrating to some Fairview parents, who have seen plans change.

“Those people chose Fairview preschool that’s what was on the lottery, they have no idea that this is at Vine Street elementary and they have no idea they’re going to have to get their kids there, somehow,” Fairview parent Gillian Oakenfull said.

The district believes it has enough room to accommodate all the students who won the lottery for Fairview preschool as well as all the students who are younger siblings of existing Fairview students.

Superintendent Mary Ronan is trying to be accommodating. The district doesn’t want to turn parents away from their top choice schools because they might choose to just leave the district instead.

“We are trying to spread out the demand and make all our magnet schools and in fact all of our neighborhood schools and put new programming in so that they too are in demand,” Ronan said.

By spreading the word about other magnet school programs and improving performance they may avoid this yearly struggle to get to the head of the class.

Letters should be going out to parents soon to let them know which magnet school program they’ve gotten into.

More than 80 percent will see their kids get into their first choice schools because of the new classroom expansion.